


The Evil that Men Do

by Antarctic_Echoes, Navaros



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Cain gets what he deserves, Chloe is the best and cares, Cuddling, F/M, Feels, Lucifer's unhealthy coping mechanism, adorably drunk, after 3x23, celestial children are a pain to handle, clothes in unusual places, drunk lucifer, he is an artist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2019-05-04 22:37:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14603202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antarctic_Echoes/pseuds/Antarctic_Echoes, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Navaros/pseuds/Navaros
Summary: Charlotte is dead and the Devil will deliver punishment, only he didn’t expect the Detective to walk in and see the truth.But her timing was always bad and now Lucifer has to deal with the consequences, in his own unique way.





	The Evil that Men Do

**Author's Note:**

> Another little story Antarctic_Echoes and I wrote after the last episode.  
> I will never see waffles the same way again T__T  
> As always, it was lovely to write with you <3<3<3<3
> 
> And it was lovely to write with you, Navaros! <3 <3 <3 So much fun!

 

 

“I’m going to kill you!”

Pierce smirked at the demon tied to a chair in the center of the abandoned factory.  “Not if I can help it.”

After he had accidentally shot Charlotte Richards instead of Amenadiel, Pierce had driven home with his heart pounding and his mind teeming with new plans.  Obviously things had gone horribly awry when he had tried to kill God’s favorite son, but luckily the police would never suspect him. As an assistant district attorney, Charlotte had enemies.  Everyone would automatically assume that she had angered someone enough to put a target on her back. So that wasn’t the problem.

The problem was Lucifer.

Pierce loved Chloe with an obsession that even he didn’t understand, but it was becoming clear to him that she loved the Devil.  So annoying. Pierce looked himself up and down. He was perfect in every way. How could she reject his perfect body, his perfect face, for that buffoon angel-gone-to-hell?

He had thought that killing Amenadiel and framing Lucifer would bring Chloe back to him.  Or give him back his mark -- either one would do. If he couldn’t have the one he wanted, he’d just keep living.  His talk with Amenadiel had put enough fear in him that if he couldn’t grow old with Chloe, then he didn’t want to grow old, period.

He could still kill Amenadiel -- he just had to get Lucifer to bring him to him.  He’d force the Devil back to Hell by threatening his demon, then he’d kill Amenadiel and frame Maze for it.  Pierce grinned. He’d have killed four birds with one stone! The idiot angel who had marked him would be dead, Maze would be stuck in jail, Lucifer would be out of the way forever _and_ Chloe would fall into his arms.  It was a win-win situation for him.

Picking up Maze’s knife from the floor, he turned to look at the demon spitting curses at him.  “Ahh, the evil that men do -- or in this case, demon. I’m lucky that you made yourself hated by everyone on the planet.  It’ll be so easy for everyone to believe you’re a murderer.”

Placing the knife in a box along with a handwritten note, he called a courier service.  After he had made arrangements for his package to be delivered to Lucifer, he turned back to the demon and picked up a syringe.

Maze struggled as he approached her.  “I am going to tear off your arms and legs, you filthy motherf--”

“Is that any way to talk to me?  Anyway, time for you to go nighty-night.  And when you wake up... well, everything will be different.”  Without hesitation, he plunged the syringe into her neck and watched her slowly lose consciousness.  When her head lolled to one side, he untied her and dumped her onto the floor. Then he straightened and took a seat in the newly vacated chair.

“Now,” he said to the room around him.  “Now, we wait.”

 

________________________________________

 

 

Lucifer was trapped between absolutely happiness - he had kissed his detective after all - and devastation. He liked Charlotte, even though it was painful to look at her and be reminded of his mother.

After he revealed himself to her, she felt like some kind of stepmom to him. But now? A human, no, a friend, gone again where he could never follow. And so was Amenadiel, apparently. He would recognize the shape and color of his feather anywhere.

Well, he shouldn’t be mad about his brother. Now he was at least free from his permanent whining. The Devil would certainly not miss him. He didn’t need his family. He survived hell without them - he would survive now.

He had Chloe now, and this time he definitely wouldn’t screw up. Should he go to her later? After everything had wrapped up, he returned to LUX while she stayed at the precinct, probably doing awful paperwork. But despite the fact that his club was bursting with people, he felt lonely, even amongst all the people around him, the hungry eyes and the never ending supply of alcohol Patrick provided him with.

Two years ago he couldn’t understand the difference between being alone and lonely. Now he could.

Lucifer nursed his drink, then pulled out his phone and was about to shoot the Detective a message when someone tapped his shoulder.

He turned around to find a courier handing him a package.

Okay, this was definitely weird, especially in the middle of the night. But okay, why not?

He tipped the young man – even if he definitely would have preferred another kind of tip, but the Devil wasn’t in the mood for this and Chloe wouldn’t agree, anyway – and made his way to his penthouse, drink in hand.

Something about this package felt wrong. Lucifer emptied his glass in one gulp before he opened the little box.

Inside he found one of Maze’s knives and a note.

Cain! That bastard. He knew Maze would never leave her knife behind, or use it for something like this.

On the note were just the words ‘alone, but bring Amenadiel’ and an address. He knew that handwriting and he knew it was probably a trap. Of course it was, it was Cain, but even though he wasn’t on best terms with Maze lately, he would not desert her. She was still his ally, his right hand and his oldest friend.

The Devil would not let that bastard win. With a roar, he leaped over the balcony rail, unfurled his wings and was on his way. It was the fastest and most low key way to get there.

The flight took just a few minutes. Lucifer sliced the door open with his wing blades like they were made out of butter.

“CAIN!” His eyes flashed red and his feathers puffed as he walked into the abandoned building. He could smell Maze - that was a good sign.

“Come and show yourself, you coward! I will rip you apart limb from limb, mark or not, I don’t care!”

His wings flared out behind him in anger and the blades scratched against the walls, sounding like nails on a chalkboard.

“You can’t hide forever, bastard!”

  


________________________________________

 

 

“Dan, you shouldn’t be here.”  Chloe rubbed her ex-husband’s back as they stood by her desk in the precinct.  “Go home. We’ll find Charlotte’s killer, okay?”

The dark-haired man ran his hand down his face.  “I can’t. I can’t go home. I don’t _want_ to go home.  I need to find out who did this to Charlotte.”

She pulled Dan into her arms and hugged him tightly.  They were friends, closer now than they had been when they were married, and she had been truly happy when he found a new life with Charlotte.  Her heart ached for him and his loss. She could only imagine what he must’ve been going through. If the roles were reversed and Lucifer had been the one to die, she knew she would have been shattered into a million pieces, with no way to put herself back together again.

“I know, but you’re too close to the case.  I promise we’ll find her killer. I promise --”

“Chloe!”  Ella came rushing up to them, her face white, with a sheaf of papers in her hand.  When she saw Dan, she took a step back. “Oh. I can come back --”

“No.”  He broke away and took a deep breath.  “What’ve you got?”

She motioned them both into a nearby conference room.  As they walked in, Chloe watched Ella with concern. Her friend seemed even more agitated than usual, with shaking hands and jerky movements.  Closing the door behind them, she turned to the forensic scientist. “What is it, Ella?”

“We... we got a problem -- a big one.”

Chloe lifted her eyebrows.  “What is it?”

Ella’s eyes shifted to Dan. “I’m not sure if... well, if I should --”

“Spill it,” he snapped.  “If you have something on Charlotte’s murderer, then I need to know.”

The lab tech swallowed, then nodded.  “Okay... okay. Here.” She spread the papers on the desk.

Chloe looked them over.  They were obviously reports from Ballistics, for there were two large glossy photos of bullets.  She held one up. “This is the bullet that killed Charlotte?”

Ella nodded.  “That’s right.  Look here.” She pointed to the striations in the image.  “You know that each bullet has a unique marking when it fires, just like fingerprints...?”

“Sure.”  Dan held up another photo.  “Is this the other bullet that killed Charlotte?”

“No.”  Ella twisted her hands together.  “Remember when Pierce shot the Sinnerman?  Well, all fired bullets go into the database, even ones that are fired by officers -- you know, it’s protocol.  I searched the database, in case we had it on record. This is the bullet that killed the Sinnerman.”

The blonde detective held up the two photos and squinted at them.  “But... but the markings... they’re identical.”

The dark-haired woman nodded.

Chloe felt her insides grow cold at what Ella was saying.  Marcus had killed Charlotte? But... but he was their superior.  He was a _good guy._  Why would he do something like this?

“Son of a _bitch!”_  Dan started for the door, his face red, but Chloe pushed him back.

“Dan!  Dan, calm down!”

He turned to her, his eyes full of rage.  “He killed Charlotte! _He killed her!”_

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Ella said.  “Why would he do something like this? She was working with us --”

“Does it matter?  I’ll kill him!”

Chloe grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at her.  “Dan, calm down. We’ll get him. We have evidence. We can put him away forever.  I’ll go pick him up right now, so why don’t you go home --”

“I’m going with you -- and don’t try to stop me.  I want to be the one who slaps the cuffs on that bastard.”

Taking a deep breath, she nodded.  “Okay. Let’s go get him.” She turned to the lab tech.  “We need a ping on his phone. If he’s killed Charlotte, he’s probably on the run.”

“You got it!”  Ella dashed out the door.

 

________________________________________

 

 

Lucifer didn’t need to search long for Cain, for that bastard didn’t even hide himself. No, he had waited for the Devil. Maze was on the floor and unconscious, but alive. An invisible weight lifted from the Devil’s shoulders.

“Where is your prick of a brother?” Cain stood nearly relaxed behind Maze, his gun in his hand. He knew Lucifer was invincible right now, so he made sure the barrel always pointed at the demon’s head. This pathetic excuse of an angel wouldn’t risk losing his friend, not even if she was a demon.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t you get the card? No? Amenadiel went home. Got his wings back, could finally fly up to lick Dad’s boots again…although he prefers to be barefoot, yadda yadda.” The fallen angel shrugged his shoulders, the wings following with a rustling movement. “So, I’m here. If you want Amenadiel here, try to pray, but he was never really fast in answering.” Lucifer’s eyes flashed again. “Enough of the little games. What do you want?”

Cain growled; he wasn’t scared of the Devil. Why should he be? At the moment he had the upper hand and, Devil or not, angels couldn’t kill humans, so he was safe.

“Do you really need to ask that, Lucifer? I want Chloe - you will not take her away from me. I just need to get rid of the cat and she will be mine.”

What cat? What was he talking about? Lucifer was confused, but Cain was a lunatic, so he shouldn’t wonder about the babbling, right?

He took a step towards Cain, who snarled at the Devil’s movement.

“You stay where you are or I’ll shoot her - you don’t want that, right?” Well, he was going to shoot Maze anyway and if Amenadiel was out of reach, he would just kill his precious, little pet demon. Everyone knew how close they were and how much they argued lately, that would also work pretty well.

“I promise you, if you hurt her, I will drag you down to hell myself.”

A distraction - Lucifer needed just a second where he could attack Cain and save Maze. He got an idea. He spread his wings more, spreading the blades threateningly in Cain’s direction.

The human’s eyes wandered to the long and sharp feathers just for a second, before Lucifer rolled his shoulders. The wings vanished and even if Cain knew that little trick, it distracted him enough so the fallen angel could lunge at the Lieutenant.

Both crashed to the floor before Lucifer started punching him. But Cain wasn’t helpless, he knew how to fight, and he did.

When Lucifer threw him across the room like a rag doll, his answer was a chair, thrown at the ex-lord of hell.

Neither noticed when the police cars arrived. Lucifer was the first one to realize though, because when Pierce landed a really heavy blow on his jaw, his lip split open. He blacked out for a few moments and fell to the ground

“Bloody hell!”

Cain used this chance, kicked him in the ribs and the head. “Seems like it’s my turn, now that Chloe is near.”

The Lieutenant smirked. Good. They would find Lucifer, an unconscious Maze and the weapon that killed Charlotte. Maybe his plan was a success, after all.

But they couldn’t find him here. He delivered one last kick to the Devil’s head before he retreated to the back of the building where he had his own little underground escapeway.

Lucifer fought with the world spinning around him and curled into a ball. This wasn’t over yet.

"Not so fast, you wanker,” he muttered through bloody lips as he struggled with the pain.  Pulling himself to his feet, he unsheathed his wings. He took off like a shot, weaving between the large pieces of machinery, homing in on the running man like a guided missile.

Tackling Cain, the fallen angel brought him down in a heaping mess of arms, legs and feathers.  Pulling himself free, he managed to punch the human in the jaw. Cain’s head snapped back, but he recovered quickly.  Jumping on Lucifer, he wrapped his thick fingers around the fallen angel’s neck and squeezed.

“You’ve been in my way long enough.”  Spittle flew from the man’s mouth as he kept applying pressure.  “Maze’s fingerprints are on the gun that killed Charlotte, and with the way she hates everyone right now, it won’t surprise anyone that she tried to strangle you before she passed out from her injuries....”

Lucifer felt like his head was exploding as the fingers tightened around his neck.  Cain had killed Charlotte?! He batted at his attacker, but he was mortal, dammit, and couldn’t breathe...!  His wings flapped against the ground as he struggled to pry Cain’s finger’s from around his neck.

“Of course, you succumbed to your injuries when Maze broke your windpipe....”  He laughed. “And I get off scot-free....”

The fallen angel dimly heard the sound of footsteps running, getting closer, but he couldn’t be sure with the roaring in his ears.  The world spun and the edges of his vision grew darker and darker. He was dying, and this bastard was going to get away with killing Charlotte, killing him, framing Maze....

And then suddenly the pressure was gone.  Gasping for breath, he saw that Daniel had tackled Cain.  His head spinning, he took a deep breath and filled his lungs with sweet, sweet air.  And then Chloe was leaning over him.

“Lucifer, are you okay?”  She looked so worried....

He managed a nod as she pulled him to a seated position, before he saw her aqua eyes widen.

“What... what the hell?  You... you have _wings?!”_  But then the sound of flesh hitting flesh drew her attention.  Lucifer followed her gaze and saw Dan beating Cain to a pulp.

“Dan!” Chloe cried as she ran up and tried to pry him off of the lieutenant.  “Stop it! You’re killing him!”

“Good!”  The detective shrugged her off and kept on punching Cain.  “He killed Charlotte!”

Lucifer stumbled to his feet and lurched his way over, shrugging his wings away as he did so.  Placing a hand on Dan’s shoulder, he squeezed. “He desires death, Daniel. Don’t give it to him.”

“You’re not a killer, Dan,” Chloe said.  “Don’t do this.”

Dan looked up at both of them, his eyes wild and frenzied, before all the strength finally left his body.  Tears welled in his eyes as he stood up. Chloe gathered him into her arms as harsh sobs wracked his frame.  
  
Lucifer felt a little out of place; he wanted to comfort his friend, but he had no idea how to do that. Angels would wrap their wings around each other, but neither he nor Dan was an angel – no matter what the wings stated.

He looked at Pierce instead; he was knocked out cold. His face had been beaten into a bloody pulp, but he was alive. Lucifer grabbed him by his shirt collar and dragged him away to the other officers, giving Dan and Chloe some space till they calmed down a little.

His whole body was hurting from the fight earlier, but he was the Devil - he wouldn’t show any weakness. Proud as always, even if his ribs were killing him, he walked to the others, dragging Cain behind him, where two officers put handcuffs on him before the EMTs took care of him. They also had already taken care of Maze; at least she was okay so far and hopefully she would wake up soon.

Ella was looking around the crime scene, collecting evidence and taking pictures. Nobody spared him a look. Good, now he finally sank down to the floor, leaning on one of the walls, and let the pain shoot through him. He didn’t flinch on the outside, but it hurt pretty damn much. Cain knew how to throw a punch, but he had it worse.

Lucifer pulled out his flask and took a big sip.

After a few minutes,the Detective and Dan emerged. The douche seemed calmer, but Lucifer could see the pain in his eyes. And he could understand. Standing up again, he put a hand on Dan’s shoulder and squeezed.

“Feel free to come to LUX and drink yourself into oblivion whenever you need it, Daniel, okay? On the house, of course.”

The latter just nodded before he tried to collect his thoughts and went outside to catch some air, leaving Lucifer and Chloe alone.

The Devil knew she didn’t approve of his behavior. He had gone behind her back again, despite the moment they shared today, and he could see it in her face.

But maybe her anger made her forget about the wings? He had hid them, and he was sure her brain would come up with an explanation.

“Detective…” Well, what could he say? Not much, because he started coughing a little. That bastard had definitely bruised his ribs, maybe cracked one too. It wasn’t dangerous, but was unpleasant.

Lucifer ran a hand through his disheveled hair - of course because he wanted to look good for her, not because he was vain. Noooo, that could never be the reason.

His suit was torn in several places, his lip still bleeding, and he would sprout some beautiful dark bruises in the next few hours, but he still wanted to look good for her.

“Stop it, Lucifer.”

Uh-oh. She was definitely angry - now he just needed to find out how bad it was.

“What were you thinking? Oh, let me guess. Nothing, like always.”

Chloe wasn’t only angry, she was scared. She just lost a friend, Dan lost his love and now Lucifer, her idiot, had also put his life in danger. How could he be so reckless?

Lucifer shifted from foot to foot and tried again.  “Detective --”

Grabbing his arm, she yanked him to one side, out of the line of vision of the other officers. “I mean, _what the hell, Lucifer?!”_

“He... he said alone.”  Lucifer dug into his trouser pocket and pulled out the note that Cain had sent him.  He held it out to her with a trembling hand. “I... I couldn’t risk... I didn’t want....”  When she just stared at the note, he dropped his hand and let his eyes fall to the floor. “He... he had Maze.  And... he said he killed Charlotte.” He looked at her as his brows furrowed. “But... but you and Daniel... you knew that already.”

Chloe nodded, her face a study in anger.  “Ella found out that the gun that killed Charlotte was Pierce’s service pistol.  We pinged his phone, but I never imagined you’d be here....” She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, then glared at him.  “Why didn’t you call me, Lucifer? We’re partners!”

He swallowed hard.  “I know. It’s just that Cain... Pierce is insane.  There was no telling what he would do. And I... I couldn’t risk....”  He stared helplessly at her, unable to express everything he was feeling.  His insides grew cold at the thought of Chloe getting injured, maybe even killed.

His partner’s eyes filled with tears.  Without warning, she flung her arms around him.  “And how do you think I’d feel if he killed you? Don’t ever do that again, Lucifer!  Promise me -- don’t you dare go off without me again!”

The fallen angel stood there, stock still, unsure of what to do.  His heart filled with warmth, until he thought it would burst. Closing his eyes, he gathered her close.  “I promise, Chloe.”

They stayed like that for a few minutes, before she finally pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes.  Then she took a deep breath. “Look, I have to book Pierce, but we... we need to talk.”

Lucifer’s eyebrows rose.  That sounded ominous. “I thought that’s what we’re doing now.”

“No, I mean... _talk.”_  She waved at his back.  “About... what I saw. I _did_ see them, right?”

He sighed and chewed his lower lip.  He couldn’t lie to her. “Yes, Detective.  You did see them.”

Would she reject him now, knowing that he had wings?  The hug had reassured him somewhat, but... that could have just been a spur of the moment reaction to what had just taken place.  Maybe when she thought about it and realized he truly was the Devil, she would run away, as he had always feared.

She closed her eyes, her face white.  “Okay. I... I have to get the paperwork going, and I... I need to think.  I’ll call you, okay?”

Lucifer’s shoulders slumped as his stomach twisted into a knot.  She wasn’t going to call -- he could tell by the look on her face.  She was sending him away.

Well, of course she would.  He was the Devil. A monster... and now she knew it.

Swallowing at the lump in his throat, he nodded.  “Yes... yes, of course. I’ll go. Goodbye, Detective.”  Turning on his heel, he strode out of the abandoned factory without a glance backward.  For a moment his mind flicked to Maze, but he knew she was in good hands. And really, he was in no mood to see her now.  Ducking around a corner, he unfurled his wings and took off for the penthouse.

He needed a drink -- no, more like several -- desperately.

For some reason Chloe had a bad feeling about Lucifer, but she didn’t have time for that now. There was a lot to wrap up here. She was happy that she could push that thought far, very far to back of her mind for now. No freak outs at crime scenes allowed.

His defeated face was burned into her mind, but no, she would think about it later. Much, much later.

 

________________________________________

 

Lucifer was very grateful for his own stash of alcoholic treasures. LUX was still packed and he wasn’t in the mood for company, so he stayed in his penthouse.

First he tried to get drunk with the obvious Whiskey he normally preferred, but even his display bottles couldn’t give him more than a slight buzz. It was not even remotely enough to kill the pain he was feeling.

But there was his private collection.

He knew the Detective wouldn’t approve of it. The possession of these bottles alone was a crime in California and most of the US. But he was the Devil, after all - he didn’t care about puny human laws.

Which one should he choose? The Devil Springs Vodka? No, not strong enough, not for him.

Everclear? No, he wanted something with at least a little taste, not just something that burned.

Aaah right, Spirytus Rektyfikowany. The Poles definitely knew how to make the good stuff.

And he just needed two bottles to get him utterly and hopelessly drunk. Which felt good, since it let him forget the pain about not seeing the Detective ever again.

He needed to drink constantly or else his angelic metabolism would get him sober again in no time. But if Lucifer had more than enough of something, it was alcohol.

The third bottle in, he stripped his vest and shirt, and his wings plopped out and dragged over the floor. He lost control of his feathered limbs probably around the time of his second bottle - they just flapped from time to time. His feathers were messed up from the fight, which was annoying and made his wings itch. But he forgot again after another half bottle.

Energy drink! Ooooh, what a great idea. He mixed the stuff that gave others alcohol poisoning from sniffing alone with the sweet sugary water and enjoyed it even more.

He didn’t hear his phone ringing, which was still in his jacket, now discarded and crumpled on the floor.

Lucifer wanted to play Heart and Soul on his piano, but he was way too drunk for it and tried to play it with a closed lid.

He also ignored the buzzing of incoming text messages, because he didn’t pick up his phone.

After the third bottle, the Devil found it hilarious to get rid of his trousers and throw them onto his tree-shaped lamp at the ceiling. For some reason even he didn’t understand, he couldn’t stop giggling about this. Of course, he also had to throw his shorts up there and missed. Those landed on his glass wall of empty bottles.

Lucifer took another swig of the Vodka, fretting at his itching wings. This was ridiculous. He staggered into his kitchen and grabbed a fork – for some reason even he didn’t know right now – before he moved as elegantly as before back to his couch. He sat down and started to work the piece of cutlery through his wings, making the mess there even worse.

Another look at the tree lamp and his art resulted in more hilarious giggling before he emptied the next bottle.

Lucifer was so absorbed in his task that he didn’t even hear the elevator ding.

“Lucifer!  What the hell?!”

He turned at the sound of Chloe’s shocked voice.  Why were there two of her? Hmmm, that was new. Two Detectives!  He giggled again, then hiccupped. Oh my. Looking blurrily at the fork in his hand, he wondered why he was holding it.  Did it have something to do with the bottle of Vodka? He tried to jam the fork into the bottle’s neck, only to have cool hands snatch it away from him.

“Hel-hel-hello, D-Detective.”  He hiccupped again, then laughed.  “I have the hic-hiccups.”

“You’re drunk.”  She snatched the bottle away from him and stripped off her jacket.  “And naked.”

He smiled up at her with all the charm he could muster.  “Are you getting naked, too? And why are there two -- no, three of y-you?”  He closed his eyes. “Such a nice dream... three Detectives...”

But the jacket thrown over his wedding tackle was very real, as was the hand patting his cheek.  “Come on, Lucifer, get a hold of yourself.”

For some reason, he found this hilarious.  “A hold of myself? Why can’t I just hold you instead?”   He suddenly pounced on her, pulling her onto the couch with him.  Wrapping his arms around her, he cuddled her close. “Ohhhh, this is nice.  What I always d-dreamed about. Why can’t this be real?” Tears suddenly burned in his eyes.  “I want it to be r-real.”

“For crying out loud, Lucifer --”

He rubbed his stubbly cheek against hers.  “So soft....”

“Ow, that’s rough!  Lucifer, please! You’re naked!”  When Lucifer squinted at Chloe, he saw that her face was bright red.

“Am I?”  Pulling away, he looked down at himself.  “Well... fancy that. But... I have your jacket....”  He threw the offending garment over his shoulder and giggled.  “Oops! Now I don’t.” He glanced around. “Where’d my clothes go?”  As he turned, he batted Chloe in the face with his wings. As she spit feathers out of her mouth, he turned back to her with surprise. “W-why are you trying to eat my wings?”

“I’m not trying to eat your wings -- you hit me with them!”  She glared at him. “Why are you drunk? We need to talk --”

“We already did that... and y-you said goodbye.”  Suddenly he grabbed a hold of her again, gripping her tightly, and started howling as tears flowed down his cheeks.  “Why did you do that? You think I’m a monster. I know I’m the Devil, but why are you leaving me behind? Whyyyy??”

“For heaven’s sake, is that what this is about?  I didn’t say goodbye to you, I said I’d call, didn’t I?”  Lucifer felt her hands cup his face as she pulled back to look into his eyes.  “I told you, you’re not the Devil. Not to me. I just needed time to think about... that.”  She nodded her chin at his droopy wings. “But I never said goodbye, Lucifer. I just needed time.”

He stared at all three images of her -- or tried to.  “Truly?”

She gave him a small smile as she wiped the tears from his cheeks with her thumbs.  “Yes, truly. Now let’s get some coffee in you. Come on.” Once she stood up, she pulled on his arm and brought him to his feet.

“Hmmm, coffee sounds nice. ” He hiccupped again, lost his balance and landed on his butt when she stepped away from him.

Chloe rolled her eyes again. That was utterly adorable somehow, but also so weird and unreal.

“Okay there is one thing before coffee - where are your pants, Lucifer?”

The Devil giggled again. “Do you mean pants or trousers? I always found that very confusing, you know?”

He looked at his lamp again and grinned like it was the new Mona Lisa.

Chloe followed his gaze and pinched the bridge of her nose. Why… what did she do to deserve this?

Okay, he at least needed some pants first. Lucifer wasn’t any help at all at the moment. She couldn’t remember if she had ever seen him drunk. Okay, at the zombie wedding he was heavily buzzed, but nothing compared to this.

Pants…pants first, thinking later. She went to his walk-in closet – after her little birthday adventure she knew what to look for, where to find it – grabbed a pair of his silk PJ bottoms and returned to the celestial being who was again drinking from the bottle.

“LUCIFER!?!” Chloe snatched the bottle away from him again. “I think you’ve had enough, wouldn’t you agree?”

But the Devil just tilted his head; his eyes had trouble focusing on her. “You could always party with me, Detectives. I only need one of you, but I wouldn’t say no to two more.”

That was utterly adorable, but also pretty annoying.

“Come on, put those on, Lucifer.” Chloe held the pants in front of his face.

But he just looked at them like he didn’t know what to do with this offending piece of fabric.

Unbelievable.

She groaned; now she really had to dress Satan himself. Great. Nobody would ever believe this; and it was a fight, for Lucifer had to lean onto her. When he tried to step into the pants he nearly lost his balance more than once, which made his wedding tackle come dangerously close to her face. Oh, the things she had to endure. But she made it, and now coffee.

When she wanted to leave for the kitchen, she heard a gentle whine that was barely audible. Chloe turned around; Lucifer stood there like a kicked puppy with watery eyes.

“Don’t leave me, please don’t go. I can’t live without you.”

What? She couldn’t follow his line of thinking.

“Lucifer, I’m not going to leave you - I just want to make some coffee.”

He didn’t react and Chloe sighed. She always thought her partner was immature, but now he was acting like a child.

“You could come with me if you want, or you could also wait on the couch.”

But the Devil just shook his head. Damn it, he would drive her crazy and at the same time, why was he so adorable?

Chloe took his hand and dragged him gently towards the kitchen. She made sure he didn’t fall, even if his wings flapped one time, sending a gust of wind in her direction and knocking one of the empty vodka bottles off the counter.

She nearly jumped when that happened, telling herself that she would get used to it.

Chloe guided Lucifer to one of his chairs and made him sit down backwards on it because of the wings.

“See? I’ll be here the whole time so you can watch me, but please stay here, okay?”

Lucifer nodded like a shy child before his silly and adorkable grin returned to his face. Meanwhile Chloe was facing the impossible task of figuring out his coffee maker while she was fuming inside at his behavior. She didn’t even know why, just that it wasn’t right. His parents should have done a better job…oh…. OH right… what was she thinking?

Her eyes rolled to the ceiling.  “Why me?”

Lucifer followed her gaze and squinted.  “Are you talking to Dad?” He nearly fell out of his chair as he tried to stand up.  Alarmed, Chloe rushed around to push him back into his seat. “He... he doesn’t listen, you know.  Because he’s an arse.” He snickered, like a school boy caught saying a naughty word. Suddenly he shouted at the ceiling.  “D-do you hear that, Dad? You’re an arse!” Then he laughed and fell out of his chair, hitting the floor hard.

As Chloe tried to help him up, he blinked at her.  “I... I fell on my arse.” He giggled. “I fell on Dad!”  He fell backward, laughing hysterically on the floor, before suddenly curling up into a ball.  “Why didn’t he love me, Detective? Why...?”

Her heart broke at the lost, hurt look that Lucifer gave her.  In that moment, she could see right into his soul, see all the pain he had suffered from getting cast out of Heaven.  Gathering him up in her arms and onto her lap as best as she could, she rocked him back and forth while he wept like a child.

“It’s okay, Lucifer.  It’s okay. I’m right here with you.  I’m right here.”

She didn’t know how long they stayed like that -- five minutes?  An hour? Time was lost to her. It was only when her legs went completely numb that she knew she’d have to get up.  “Okay, Lucifer, let’s get you off the floor, shall we?”

A snore greeted her.

_Oh, great._

Rolling her eyes, she tried to wake him up, but all she could do was shove him off of her lap.  Grabbing the edge of the table, she hauled herself to her feet, then nearly fell over at the lack of sensation in her legs.  Sighing, she sat down in the chair and looked at him. There was no way she’d be able to get him into bed, not with his dead weight and his wings splayed out all over the place.

Once feeling returned to her limbs, she grabbed a blanket from the linen closet and covered him up.  Brushing the hair from his face, she kissed his forehead, then went to the living room to clean up.

 

________________________________________

  


The first thing Lucifer became aware of was a pounding headache.

Then he realized that his bed felt unusually cold and hard -- like tile -- and sunlight was pouring across his face.  As he opened his eyes and tried to figure out where he was, nausea twisted his stomach. Groaning, he sat up and looked around.  What had happened? Why was he on the kitchen floor? And why did his eyes feel gritty and swollen, like he had been crying?

He couldn’t have been, could he?  The Devil hardly ever cried....

Rubbing his forehead, he sat up as he tried to remember what had happened the night before.  Flashes of memory came into his mind -- of alcohol, stripping off his clothes, and... Chloe? The blood rushed out of his face.  Did he make a fool of himself in front of Chloe?!

A walk of shame. Lucifer Morningstar, ex ruler of hell, had to do a walk of shame. In his own home! How ridiculous. After the world stopped spinning in his seated position he slowly stood up, even though he had to hold onto his table.

His head was killing him - was he dying? The taste in his mouth told him that something had crawled inside him and died there. That was disgusting. He was definitely dying.

As an exception to the rule he drank a glass of water - no, two actually - but he felt better afterwards and sneaked into his living room like a one night stand leaving his lover in the morning.

The Devil felt ashamed when he entered the room. Chloe slept on the couch, wrapped in his snuggie,and all his empty bottles were collected and in boxes next to the elevator. She had even cleaned up his mess and spills.

The only evidence left from last night were his trousers, still on his lamp. But of course she couldn’t reach up there without a ladder.

Great, should he return to hell? Could he die from embarrassment right now? He barely remembered anything from last night. But he was sure it hadn’t been pleasant. And now Chloe was sleeping there like it was the safest place in the world, even though he was the Devil.

Lucifer had to fight his biological instincts to lie next to her and wrap her in his wings. Angels did that with each other for comfort or just to feel close to each other.

Like an idiot he stood there, not knowing what he should do now. He wouldn’t wake her up, for he was sure she had been up most of the night anyway. He probably could use a shower, but the sound of the water might also wake her up.

So that wasn’t an option either. Great, and he really didn’t want to leave her alone. She was sleeping with messy hair, messy clothes and snoring a little, and it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

He walked up and down a few times; every time he wanted to do something, he changed his mind as soon as he started.

His gaze was wandering back to Chloe all the time.

Till he couldn’t hold himself back anymore. Slowly and carefully he lay down next to her, probably still smelling like a distillery, and when he was settled, he wrapped her in his wing.

This was something he hadn’t done in eons, not after the fall, but it felt like a need that had been fulfilled, and now the nagging feeling had eased. Maybe he could just enjoy this a little longer? Before she would come to her senses and run.

He didn’t know how long he lay there with her in his wing.  He kept thinking he should get up, but his treacherous brain kept saying, “A little longer.  Just five minutes more....”

Until there wasn’t any more time left.  Chloe stirred in his arms and slowly opened her eyes.

Lucifer’s heart pounded in his chest, and the breath caught in his throat.  Would she shove him away and start screaming? Punch him in the face? Pull out her gun and shoot him?

But she did none of those things.  Instead she gave him a sleepy grin and cuddled up close to him.  “Good morning.”

The fallen angel was flummoxed.  He didn’t know what to do. His heart fluttered, his stomach churned, and yet he felt lighter than a feather.  His eyes looked left and right, thinking that perhaps she was talking to someone else, except he was the only one in the room, and she was snuggling against his chest....

Did something happen last night that he didn’t know about?  He stared at the ceiling, racking his brains for an answer, but none came.  What had happened last night? Why couldn’t he remember?

“You....”  He bit his lower lip, wondering if he should continue, then forged ahead.  “You should be screaming. Or running. Perhaps both.”

“Why?”

Right, this was definitely strange.  Was he dreaming? He pulled himself upright, bringing Chloe with him.  She looked beautiful with her tousled hair and her eyes heavy with sleep.  “I’m the Devil, Detective.”

“I know.”

He blinked.  How odd that she didn’t even seem phased by knowing the truth.  “Then why aren’t you screaming?”

She straightened, putting a little distance between them, and he instantly felt the loss.  “Look, I did a lot of thinking last night. This is all...” She waved at his wings and gave a little laugh.  “...really hard to take in, seeing as how I never believed in God, the Devil, or angels and demons, but you’re here.”  She took a deep breath. “I can’t say I wasn’t a little freaked out.”

“You should be.”  He closed his eyes.  “I’m a monster, Detective.”

“No, you’re not.”  His eyes flew open at her words, and he found Chloe gazing at him with tenderness.  “Like I told you -- you’re not the Devil. Not to me. You’re the man who worked with me when no one else would, you’ve always had my back, and you saved me when I was poisoned.  You never lied to me. You’ve been telling me the truth the entire time.” She chuckled. “I was just too blind to see.” Lifting her hand, she stroked his cheek. “I care so much about you, Lucifer.”

He gaped at her.  He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think --

She gave him a little smile.  “And I think you care about me...?”

For an answer, he hauled her into his arms and held her tightly as his eyes burned with tears.  “With my whole heart, Chloe.”

They stayed like that for a long moment before Lucifer slowly released her.  She gazed into his eyes and lifted her hand to his face once more, stroking her thumb over his lips, waiting for him to close the distance again.

And he did. Lucifer kissed her with all the emotions he had, everything that was bottled up inside him, which was nearly overwhelming for him.

His wings were ruffling, the feathers puffing out. Stupid body reflexes, but he couldn’t care less at the moment.

When Chloe pulled back, she couldn’t stop the smile. She didn’t care about his hangover breath and taste right now, or the smell of alcohol, she just cared about him.

“This doesn’t mean we don’t have to talk.”

His expression changed into one of a kicked puppy once again and his wings drooped, but before he could say anything or jump to the wrong conclusion, Chloe took his hand.

“Promise me not to run away, please.”

The Devil sighed and nodded, but that wasn’t enough for the detective.

“No, say it, please. No loopholes, just promise me you will stay here with me and not run because you are scared. No more hiding, no more going backwards, remember?”

How could he deny such a plea?

“I promise, Detective. I won’t run or hide.”

“Good, and please stop hurting yourself.”

“I’m not-“

“You are - drinking yourself into oblivion is hurting yourself. If I wasn’t so worried about you, I would be impressed at the amount of booze you killed yesterday all by yourself.” She glanced at the empty bottles.

“And do I even want to know how that ended up there?” She nodded at the trousers hanging from the lamp, which made Lucifer giggle.

“Detective, wouldn’t you say it’s a form of modern art? I quite like it.”

She smacked his shoulder which made him pout and his wings poofy.

“Fine, I can’t promise that I won’t hurt myself again, but I will try, okay? I’m not good at all this human….stuff.”

“Good, that’s all I’m asking for.”

She leaned with her back onto his chest. He radiated such a comfortable heat that she didn’t want to leave it yet. Just a little longer.

And Chloe also enjoyed how Lucifer drew lazy patterns on her hand with his fingers, without really noticing it.

“We still have to go to the precinct today - you remember that, right? There is still a lot to do after... Charlotte.”

“We?” At Lucifer’s puzzled words, she turned around to see the real confusion in his eyes,and she instantly wanted to cuddle and comfort him.

“Of course, you idiot. We are partners, right? The Detective and the Devil - nothing will change that. But before we go, you have one thing to do and this is very important.”

Chloe put all seriousness in those words as she could and, at his worried expression, she almost felt sorry for him… almost.

“And what would that be, Detective?”

She could hear the strain in his voice.

“Take a shower - you are not getting in my car with messy wings and smelling like a liquor store. And no, before you ask, I’m not going to help you. You are grown up, you can do it yourself.”

The pouting face she got for that was totally worth it, but Lucifer nodded and shuffled to the bathroom.

Even though Marcus had been arrested, he would pay for everything - prison was not enough. Chloe couldn’t imagine how, but she knew one thing – even before all the celestial stuff became involved, nobody could escape Lucifer’s rage.

 

 


End file.
